Virtue of Simplicity – Fourth Day of July

Simplicity.

“Be simple as doves.” — St. Matt. 10:16.

FOURTH DAY.

The office of simplicity is to make us go straight to God, without listening to human respect, without consulting our own interest; to make us speak frankly and from our heart; to make us act simply, without any mingling of hypocrisy or artifice; finally, to keep us far from duplicity or deceit. — St. Vincent de Paul.

This saint thought only of God in all his actions, and could not suffer that anyone would seek anything out of Him. One of the priests of his congregation having been publicly accused of having performed an action through human respect, he reproved him severely, saying it would be better for him to be tied hands and feet and be thrown into the fire than to act with a view to please men. To one of his missionaries he said: “O God, what kind of thoughts are these? Where is the simplicity of a missionary, who should always go direct to God? Do you not know that duplicity does not please God, and that to be truly simple we should never see aught but Him?” He was so far removed from all evasion or subterfuge that, when he spoke, one never feared to be deceived.

Prayer.

My God, I will seek only Thee in all things; Thou alone wilt suffice. Happy is he who desires only Thee, who possesses only Thee!

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